Lock screen optimizations

ABSTRACT

Approaches are described for determining, updating, and displaying recommended content on a display of a computing device. A lock screen can be displayed in response to a wake event. An input icon, such as a fingerprint icon, can be displayed on the lock screen to prompt the user to use a corresponding input mechanism to unlock the device. Upon authenticated input being determined, a countdown icon or timer element can be displayed indicating any remaining or additional time for the recommended content to be displayed. After any remaining time has passed, the device is unlocked and alternative content displayed, either automatically or in response to an additional access input received from a user.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No.62/406,918, filed Oct. 11, 2016, entitled “Lock Screen Optimizations,”the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

Mobile electronic devices, such as smart phones, tablet computers, andwearable computing devices (e.g., watches, glasses, among others), arebecoming more ubiquitous. People are increasingly using their mobiledevices to obtain the information for going about their everyday lives.As people spend a greater amount of their time on these devices, it canbe helpful for their devices to offer suggestions of media content orphysical items that might be of interest, and provide sufficientopportunity for the user to consume that content. Discussed herein aretechnical solutions to provide improved systems for displayingsuggestions to people.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will bedescribed with reference to the drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C illustrate a first example approach to displayingcontent on a display screen of a computing device in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate an example implementation where a user isinteracting with a lock screen of a computing device in accordance withvarious embodiments;

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate example templates to display recommendedcontent that can be displayed on a lock screen of a computing device inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C illustrate example systems for displayingrecommended content on a lock screen of a computing device in accordancewith various embodiments;

FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5C illustrate an example process for displaying andupdating recommended content on a lock screen of a computing device inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 6A, 6B, 6C, and 6D illustrate a second example approach todisplaying content on a display screen of a computing device inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a first example process for displaying recommendedcontent on a lock screen of a computing device that is able to beunlocked using a fingerprint scanner in accordance with variousembodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a second example process for displaying recommendedcontent on a lock screen of a computing device that is able to beunlocked using a fingerprint scanner in accordance with variousembodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an example portable computing device that can be usedin accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example set of basic components of a portablecomputing device, such as the device described with respect to FIG. 9;and

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of an environment for implementingaspects in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, various embodiments will be described. Forpurposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are setforth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments.However, it will also be apparent to one skilled in the art that theembodiments may be practiced without the specific details. Furthermore,well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order not to obscurethe embodiment being described.

Systems and methods in accordance with various embodiments of thepresent disclosure may overcome one or more of the foregoing or otherdeficiencies experienced in conventional approaches for presentingcontent data via an electronic device. In particular, variousembodiments provide for determining, displaying, and/or updating contentdata anywhere messages and/or notifications may be presented to a useron a computing device. For example, a lock screen can include contentdata that can include advertisements and/or other such information. Thecontent data can be displayed according to one of a number of templates(e.g., a full-screen template or a non-full-screen template). Each typeof template can include selectable elements (e.g., at least a portion ofthe template relative to what is displayed on the screen) that, whenselected, can cause the computing device to perform an action such aslaunch an application, provide additional content displays, etc. Inorder to ensure that sufficient time is provided for a user to be ableto read the presented content on the lock screen, various embodimentsprovide a period of time after authentication for which the content willremain displayed if no specific user action is taken. In at least someembodiments, the user can have the option of providing an input ortaking an action that can cause the lock screen content to be dismissedin order for the home screen, or other such content, to be displayed inits place.

For example, FIGS. 1A through 1C illustrate an example approach todisplaying content on a lock screen that can be utilized in accordancewith various embodiments. In this example a biometric sensor, such as afingerprint scanner embedded in a home button 106 of the computingdevice, can be used to unlock the computing device 108. A user canperform an action to cause the display screen to be activated, such asmay correspond to the user moving or touching the device, among othersuch options. As discussed in more detail later herein, recommendedcontent 102 is displayed on a lock screen displayed on the displayscreen 110 as illustrated in the example 100 of FIG. 1A. In thisexample, a fingerprint icon 104 is displayed in place of a lock icon inorder to indicate to a user, or potential user, that not only is thedevice in a locked state, but that the device can be unlocked using thefingerprint scanner. For other types of biometric data there can beother types of icons displayed as well, such as an eye icon for a retinaor iris scanner, a face icon for a facial recognition system, amicrophone icon for a voice recognition algorithm, and the like.Further, at least some devices will allow for unlocking to be performedusing one or more other approaches as well, such as by swiping across atouch sensitive display and entering a password or personalidentification number (PIN), among other such options. At least oneadditional option may be provided in case the biometric scanner or datais unable to be used to authenticate the user, such as where an amountof moisture or deformation of the user's finger causes problems with thefeature point recognition or other approach used to validate thefingerprint of the user. In some embodiments the fingerprint scannerwill capture a digital image of a fingerprint pattern of a finger placedproximate the scanner and software will attempt to locate a pattern(s)or features (e.g., arches, loops, or whorls) that can be used toauthenticate the user by comparing the pattern(s) or features againstdata stored for the user.

Once an identity of the user has been authenticated, through datacaptured by the fingerprint scanner or otherwise, a determination can bemade as to whether any promotional, advertising, or other supplementalcontent should be provided for display on the lock screen, and whetherthere is a desired amount of time for which that content is to bedisplayed after an unlock action. In some embodiments, advertisingcontent 102 is to be displayed for a minimum amount of time on the lockscreen after the device is unlocked, such as for at least three or fiveseconds. The advertiser may have paid an amount for the advertisingbased on this minimum amount of time. In the example 120 of FIG. 1B thelock screen is displayed for three seconds after authentication before adifferent screen is displayed. In order to inform a user as to thereason that the lock screen is still displayed, and to provideinformation about the remaining time for the lock screen to be displayedafter a successful unlocking of the device, a countdown icon 122 orother such element can be displayed that can indicate the amount of timeremaining for the lock screen to be displayed. For situations where theadvertising content 102 is to be displayed for at least a minimum amountof time, the countdown icon 122 can indicate the number of seconds leftbefore the minimum time is reached. Various other timing approaches andvalues can be used as well within the scope of the various embodiments.The countdown icon 122 can be displayed with the number of secondsdecreasing monotonically until the specified or minimum amount of timehas passed, after which the lock screen may no longer be displayed andthe device can display another interface, screen, or page, such as ahome screen 142 as illustrated in the example 140 of FIG. 1C. In atleast some embodiments the user can provide input (i.e., through adismissal action) during the countdown in order to dismiss the lockscreen and/or access the functionality of the device. For example, sincethe user has already successfully been validated and caused the deviceto be unlocked, the user can provide a dismissal action such as a swipe,button press, or other such input in order to cause the lock screen tono longer be displayed. Various other types of actions or inputs can beused to dismiss the lock screen as well within the scope of the variousembodiments.

Various types of content can be displayed on a lock screen of acomputing device. For example, display instructions, content data,and/or templates to display the content data can be associated with acontent provider and stored on a computing device. An example of contentdata includes recommend content. The recommended content can be tailoredto a user of the computing device. For example, as will be describedfurther herein, the recommended content inserted into the templates canbe based on the geographic location of the computing device, usage dataas relating to social media applications associated with the user of thecomputing device, web applications, and various other applications,search queries, purchase history, among other types of information. Thedisplay instructions can be executed by the computing device todetermine a display schedule, whereby the display schedule can be usedto determine whether to update the recommended content, to set afrequency at which the recommended content is displayed, a time at whichthe recommended content is displayed, the type of template used toexpress the recommended content, placement of the recommended content ona display screen, among other such display options.

The recommended content can be updated in response to detecting a lockscreen event. Lock screen events include, for example, swiping away alock screen where no security pin is required to access a home screen orother user interface of the computing device, changing a user'senrollment status in receiving recommended content from a contentprovider, updating a user profile with a content provider, swiping awaya lock screen where a security pin is required to access a home screenor other user interface of the computing device, dismissing a securitylock guard (e.g., pin entry, biometric entry, etc.) and returning to alock screen, displaying a notification pane, launching or dismissing acamera application over a lock screen, dismissing a non-full-screentemplate that includes recommended content, displaying a notificationoverflow window, dismissing a notification overflow window, receiving anotification when a full-screen template that includes recommendedcontent is being displayed, dismissing all notifications displayed ontop of a full-screen template that includes recommended content,launching a dialer application over the lock screen, dismissing a dialerapplication from the lock screen, launching a voice assist applicationover the lock screen, dismissing a voice assist from the lock screen,powering on a display screen, powering off a display screen, activatinga security key guard, activating a phone dialer application, detecting areboot intent of the computing device, determining, while a displayscreen of a computing device is in a powered off state, that thecomputing device transitions from a state where no notifications arevisible to where at least one notification would be visible or thecomputing device transitions from a state where notifications arevisible to a state where no notifications are visible, among other suchexamples.

The lock screen events can be generated in response to, for example,detecting a user interaction with a display screen of the computingdevice, detecting a physical button of a computing device being presseda predetermined number of times, detecting a graphical button of acomputing device being contacted a predetermined number of times,detecting a time out event, detecting particular movement of thecomputing device, receiving an input from a different computing device(e.g., a smart watch), receiving input from an object (e.g., a cover ofthe computing device with a magnet that causes the display screen topower on/off), etc.

In various embodiments the user interaction can include a userauthentication action in which a user provides information useful inauthenticating the user. In various embodiments this can involve the useof a biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint scanner, of the computingdevice. The user interaction can involve at least a portion of a fingerof a user being detected by a fingerprint scanner, for example, such asby capturing data representative of at least a portion of a userfingerprint. At least some initial processing of the data captured bythe sensor can be performed in order to determine that the data exhibitsa pattern corresponding to a human fingerprint. The fingerprint data canbe compared against fingerprint data stored for an authorized user ofthe computing device, and if the fingerprint data matches (or isotherwise determined to correspond to) the stored data for theauthorized user then the device can be unlocked and made accessible tothe authenticated user. While the lock screen is displayed, afingerprint icon or other graphical element can be displayed in order toprompt the user to unlock the device using the fingerprint scanner or asimilar biometric sensor or unlock/authentication mechanism. Ifadvertising or other promotional or supplemental content is displayed onthe lock screen, there might be a minimum amount of time for which thatcontent is to be displayed. If the content has not yet been displayedfor the minimum amount of time, a countdown element can be displayedthat indicates a remaining amount of time until the home screen or otherfunctionality of the computing device will be accessible. In someembodiments a default amount of time will be applied between a time whenthe fingerprint data is authenticated and when the home screen isdisplayed. In some embodiments an unlocked icon, or similar graphicalelement, can be displayed once an end event has been detected, such asit being determined that the minimum amount of time has been reached ora dismissal event has been detected. The display of the unlocked iconcan informing a user that the device is unlocked and the home screen orother functionality can be accessed by an access action, such as bypressing a button on the device or performing a motion or gesture withrespect to a touch-sensitive display, among other such options.

In accordance with various embodiments, as the user interacts with therecommended content (e.g., selects the recommended content) and/orcomputing device, a user profile that includes usage information can becreated and/or updated, and the user profile can be used to update thedisplay schedule such that recommended content is provided in accordancewith the updated display schedule. In response to a selection of therecommended content, the computing device can perform at least oneaction, such as launching a web browser to view a product listing of anitem or service represented in the recommended content, navigating to aparticular web site, launching an application, or performing some otheraction.

FIG. 2A illustrates an example implementation 200 wherein a user 202 isinteracting with a computing device 204, in accordance with variousembodiments. Although a portable computing device (e.g., an electronicbook reader, smart phone, or table computer) is shown, it should beunderstood that any electronic device capable of receiving, determining,and/or processing input can be used in accordance with variousembodiments discussed herein, where the devices can include, forexample, desktop computers, notebook computers, personal dataassistants, video gaming consoles, television set top boxes, smarttelevisions, wearable computers (e.g., watches, glasses, etc.) andportable players, among others. In this example, the computing devicecan have executing thereon a content rendering service that candetermine, display, and update content data on a lock screen of atouch-sensitive computing device 204. An example of content dataincludes recommend content, which can include, for example, rich mediacontent, advertisements, graphics, text, selectable elements, etc. Itshould be noted, however, that embodiments described herein provide fordetermining, displaying, and updating recommended content anywheremessages and/or notifications may be presented to a user on a computingdevice. This can include displaying recommended content on a backgroundof a home screen of a computing device, as in-app content, in anotification area of a computing device, among other such areas messagesand/or notifications may be presented. The home screen of a computingdevice can include, for example, the visual interface from which a useris able to access particular functions. Home screens are not identicalas users can arrange interface elements (e.g., icons representingapplications) as desired, and home screens can differ across operatingsystems. The home screen can display links or other selectable elementsto applications, settings, and notifications. In accordance with variousembodiments, a home screen can include, for example, a grid ofapplication links or shortcuts that can be arranged over multiple pages,and serve as a method of accessing functions of the computing device. Ahome screen can include a background image. The background image can bea digital image (photo, drawing etc.) used as a decorative background ofa graphical user interface on the home screen of the computing device.Displaying recommended content as in-app content can include, forexample, displaying recommended content within an application, such asbanners at the top, bottom, or other location in the application. Thenotification area of a computing device can display, for example, systemand application notifications, as well as user selectable elements toaccess system settings and applications. It should be noted thatnotification areas are not identical and can differ across operatingsystems. The notification area can be displayed, for example, bydragging down from a top of a display screen of a computing device,selecting a button (physical or graphical), etc. Notifications may beselected, which can redirect the user to the application where thenotification was initially created, and marking that alert as read. Oncea notification is read, it is removed from the notification area. Usersmay also remove notifications without reading them by deletingindividual notifications.

In accordance with various embodiments, a lock screen is a type ofgraphical user interface (GUI) that is displayed on a touch-sensitivedisplay screen when the display screen is “locked,” or programmed torestrict access to aspects of the computing device. For example, thelock screen can regulate immediate access to the computing device byrequiring a certain action in order to receive access: such as enteringa password as part of authenticating a security key guard, using acertain button combination as part of authenticating a security keyguard, or by performing a certain gesture using a device's touchscreenas part of authenticating a security key guard. Functionality of thecomputing device and private data is limited to pre-configured accesssettings that are determined either by default or when the computingdevice is unlocked.

The lock screen can be displayed upon detecting an input that “wakes”the display screen. An example input can include pressing a physicalbutton such as a home button (see 912 of FIG. 9), a voice input,movement of the computing device, an input from a different computingdevice (e.g., a smart watch), an input with an object (e.g., a magnet ofa cover used to cover the computing device), etc. Example physicalbuttons include a home button (see reference 912 of FIG. 9), a powerbutton (see reference 908 of FIG. 9), a volume button (see reference 906of FIG. 9), etc. In accordance with an embodiment, a home button can bea physical button that when pressed can cause a display screen of acomputing device to power on, close an active application, navigate to ahome screen, or perform any one of a number of functions based on anumber of times the home button is pressed, how long the home button isheld after being pressed, etc. In accordance with an embodiment, thepower button can be a physical button that when pressed can sleep/wake acomputing device, power on/off a computing device, or perform any one ofa number of functions based on a number of times the power button ispressed, how long the power button is held after being pressed, etc. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the volume button can be a physicalbutton that when pressed can control a volume of a computing device orperform any one of a number of functions based on a number of times thevolume button is pressed, how long the button is held after beingpressed, etc. In various embodiments, the buttons (e.g., the homebutton, the power button, and the volume button) can be pressed in oneor more combinations and/or sequences to perform any one of a number offunctions based on a number of times each button is pressed, how longeach button is held after being pressed, etc. It should be noted that invarious embodiments, the buttons can be graphical buttons or acombination of physical buttons and graphical buttons.

In accordance with certain embodiments, once the lock screen isdisplayed, the lock screen can be unlocked to enable certain computingdevice settings and other computing device functionality. In variousembodiments, however, the lock screen does not have to be unlocked toutilize computing device functionality. For example, pressing a physicalbutton a predetermined number of times may launch a camera applicationthat can be used to capture image data (e.g., a still image, video,etc.) In another example, pressing a physical button can wake a displayscreen of a computing device and the user can perform a gesture (e.g.,swipe) to launch or display graphical elements that when selected canlaunch one of a number of applications executing on the computingdevice. In the situation where the computing device is unlocked toaccess private data and/or additional functionality, the unlock processcan include, for example, verifying the user's identification with apasscode as part of authenticating a security key guard, using facialidentification approaches to verify the user's identity as part ofauthenticating a security key guard, using fingerprint recognitionapproaches to verify the user's identity as part of authenticating asecurity key guard, using voice identification approaches to verify theuser's identity as part of authenticating a security key guard, etc.

Example 220 of FIG. 2B illustrates an example lock screen that can bedisplayed in accordance with various embodiments. The lock screen can bedisplayed in response to detecting a wake event to power on the displayscreen. The lock screen can display, for example, advertising orpromotional content 124, although other information can be displayed aswell as may include the time and date, notifications for variousapplications executing on the computing device such as missed textnotifications, missed call notifications, calendar event notifications,etc.; a background image (i.e., wallpaper); interactive elements thatcan include a call icon to launch a phone application, an unlock icon tolaunch a security key guard, a camera icon to launch a cameraapplication, status elements that indicate a Wi-Fi connection, telecommconnection, battery level, etc., among other types of information. Somefunctional elements may be included as well, such as a selectableelement 126 enabling purchase of an item represented in the advertisingcontent. The lock screen can display various other types of recommendedcontent as well as discussed in more detail elsewhere herein.

In the example 220 of FIG. 2B the home button of the computing deviceincludes a biometric sensor, such as a fingerprint scanner. It should beunderstood that various other types of biometric sensors, such asretinal scanners, can be utilized as well and that such sensors orcomponents can be incorporated into the home button or includedelsewhere on, or connected to, the computing device. In this example, atype of displayed lock icon can be based at least in part upon a type ofbiometric data that can be used to unlock the computing device. In thisexample a fingerprint icon 104 is displayed indicating that the deviceis currently in a locked state but can be unlocked using the fingerprintscanner, although other unlock approaches may be utilized as well withinthe scope of the various embodiments. Once data is received from thebiometric scanner that can be used to authenticate the identity of theuser, the computing device 108 can be unlocked and a home screen orother such interface displayed that enables the user to access variousfunctionality that was previously unavailable when the device was in thelocked state.

In accordance with various embodiments, the lock screen can additionallybe utilized to display recommended content in templates. The recommendedcontent can be displayed instead of (or addition to) the backgroundimage of the lock screen. The recommended content can include, forexample, text, images, audio, animation, video, interactive content,rich media content, advertisements, and other content a user or otherobject can interact with. Content can be, for example, informationprovided through text, images, audio, animation, video, interactivecontent, rich media content, etc. The content can be recommended contentbecause, for example, the content is personalized based on userinformation associated with a user as may include a user's demographicinformation, such as gender, age, marital status, occupation, incomelevel, etc., information indicating usage patterns of a computingdevice, information indicating applications executing on the computingdevice, a physical location of the computing device, a network provider(Wi-Fi and/or telecom) of the computing device, etc. The recommendedcontent can include a hypertext link or other selectable element thatcan enable the computing device to launch a web browser, navigate to aparticular web site, launch an application, or perform some otherfunction. The web site can be a product page that displays informationassociated with the recommended content as well as provide the abilityto purchase an item represented on the product page.

As will be described further herein, the recommended content can bedetermined, displayed, and updated in accordance with displayinstructions. As described herein, the display instructions can beperiodically and automatically updated. For example, a service (e.g., anupdate service) can provide updated display instructions as suchinstructions become available, at determined times, or as otherwiseappropriate. In accordance with various embodiments, the displayinstructions can be used to cause the computing device to determine,display, and update the recommended content at specific times, underspecific conditions, and/or in response to a particular lock screenevent. For example, the computing device can determine that a currenttime of day is within a determined time segment specified by a displayschedule of the display instructions and can enable recommended contentto be displayed. In other examples, the computing device can determine,display, and/or update recommended content in response to a lock screenevent. Example lock screen events include swiping away a lock screenwhere no security pin is required to access a home screen or other userinterface of the computing device, changing a user's enrollment statusin receiving recommended content from a content provider, updating auser profile with a content provider, swiping away a lock screen where asecurity pin is required to access a home screen or other user interfaceof the computing device, dismissing a security lock guard (e.g., pinentry, biometric entry, etc.) and returning to a lock screen, displayinga notification pane, launching or dismissing a camera application over alock screen, dismissing a non-full-screen template that includesrecommended content, displaying a notification overflow window,dismissing a notification overflow window, receiving a notification whena full-screen template that includes recommended content is beingdisplayed, dismissing all notifications displayed on top of afull-screen template that includes recommended content, launching adialer application over the lock screen, dismissing a dialer applicationfrom the lock screen, launching a voice assist application over the lockscreen, dismissing a voice assist from the lock screen, powering on adisplay screen, powering off a display screen, activating a security keyguard, activating a phone dialer application, detecting a reboot intentof the computing device, determining, while a display screen of acomputing device is in a powered off state, that the computing devicetransitions from a state where no notifications are visible to where atleast one notification would be visible or the computing devicetransitions from a state where notifications are visible to a statewhere no notifications are visible, among other such examples.

Example situations where recommended content is determined, displayed,and/or updated can occur when returning from an application launchedover the lock screen, where in this situation any recommended contentdisplayed in a full-screen template is cleared and any recommendedcontent displayed in a non-full-screen template remains displayed. Inanother situation where the computing device is returning from a cameraapplication that was launched by pressing a power button (or other suchbutton) a predetermined number of times, the recommended contentdisplayed in a full-screen template can be updated and any recommendedcontent displayed in a non-full-screen template can remain unchanged. Inyet another situation where a security key guard or other such securityinterface that requires an input to access a home screen of thecomputing device is dismissed, recommended content can be cleared. Inanother situation where a computing device shut down process isinitiated, recommended content can be cleared. In yet another situation,recommended content displayed in a full-screen template can be clearedwhen an application is launched over the lock screen. In anothersituation, recommended content displayed in a non-full-screen templatecan cleared when that recommended content is cleared via a swipinggesture. It should be noted that other lock screen events can cause acomputing device to determine, display, and/or update recommendedcontent as will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art.

As described, the computing device can cause the recommended content tobe displayed on the lock screen in one or more of a number of differentvisual representations. FIG. 3A illustrates an example 300 of afull-screen template that includes content data that can be displayed ona lock screen of a computing device 108. As described, an example ofcontent data includes recommend content. In this example, the backgroundimage portion 304 of the lock screen has been replaced with full-screentemplate 306 that includes recommend content, which in this exampleincludes a display of a shoe, text, and an interactive element 308. Thebackground image portion 304 can be a digital image (photo, drawingetc.) used as a decorative background of a graphical user interface onthe lock screen of the computing device 108 or other electronic device.It should be noted that although most devices come with a defaultbackground, users or other processes can change the background. Asdescribed, the recommended content can be inserted in one of a number oftemplates (e.g., full-screen template, notification template, or bannertemplate) and the recommended content can be displayed on the lockscreen of the computing device. A template can be used to provide astandard layout and look and feel within content regions of the lockscreen or other display areas. The layout can include regions or areas,and content can be inserted into those regions. Inserting content caninclude referencing particular content to be displayed in the regions ofthe template.

The interactive element 308, when selected, can cause the computingdevice to perform one of a number of actions. Example actions includelaunching an application such as a web browser to view a webpage, amarketplace application to download an application, among others. Inthis example, the interactive element can cause a mobile shopping app tolaunch, wherein a product page for the shoe as well as any additional orrelated information can be displayed. In the situation where the userhas a passcode or other security measure securing the computing device,the user would first have to provide the necessary passcode beforeviewing the product page. On the product page, the user can purchase theproduct, search additional products, or resume operation of thecomputing device. It should be noted that although the recommendedcontent in the full-screen template is shown in this example, it will beappreciated that the visual representation of the recommended content isnot limited to the full-screen template. For example, the recommendedcontent can be displayed in a non-full-screen template which includesbut is not limited to a banner template, a notification template, or anyother template that utilizes substantially less than all of the pixelsof the display screen when rendered. In various embodiments, the displayscreen can include other displays coupled and/or otherwise incommunication with the computing device. For example, the displays caninclude a secondary screen such as an e-ink screen, LCD screen, LEDscreen, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the display can be a displayscreen of a device in communication with the computing device such as asmart watch, smart glasses, mobile phone, automobile display,television, electronic book reader, portable media player, among others.As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, a product orother content to be represented in recommended content can be a tangibleitem, a virtual item, a service, or a combination thereof.

FIG. 3B illustrates example 320 of notification template 322 thatincludes recommended content that can be displayed on a lock screen ofthe computing device. In this example, the notification template isintended to match a style of the notifications used by the computingdevice. As shown, the recommended content is displayed with a textmessage 322 and appears as though it could be another text messagedisplayed along with the text message. Although the recommendedcontented is displayed with a text message notification, notificationtemplate 324 can be the only notification displayed, or displayed withone or more other notifications, as may include missed callnotifications, missed text message notifications, calendar eventnotifications, etc. Notification template 324 includes recommendedcontent which may include a graphical representation of anadvertisement, a description associated with the advertisement, and anyother appropriate information such as a label distinguishing theprovided advertisement from other device generated notifications. Inthis example, recommended content in the notification template includesan image of a shoe with information indicating that the product is onsale. A user can interact with the recommended content. For example, theuser can tap, select, swipe, or otherwise interact with the recommendedcontent in a same or similar manner as with other notifications.Selecting the recommended content can cause the computing device todisplay additional information, launch an application, or perform someother action.

In another example, a banner template 342 can include recommendedcontent as shown in example 340 of FIG. 3C. Although the recommendedcontent displayed in a banner template is displayed with a text message320, the recommended content can be displayed with any number of typesof notifications. Further, like the recommended content displayed in anotification template, the recommended content can be displayed afterall other notifications, before all other notifications, or somewheremixed in with any other notifications. The visual representation ofbanner template 342 generally utilizes a larger area of the lock screenand is emphasized with respect to other displayed notifications. Forexample, the banner template 342 can appear on the lock screen in theform of a bar, column, or box and may utilize, for example, up to twicethe viewable area of a notification generated by the operating system.As shown, the recommended content in the banner template includesinformation such as an image of an advertisement (e.g., shoes), adescription associated with the advertisement (e.g., price andadvertising phrase), and any other appropriate information. The size andappearance (e.g., banner style, bold lines, etc.) can visuallydistinguish the banner template from other notifications. As with theother templates, a user can interact with the recommended content in thebanner template. For example, the user can tap, select, or swipe therecommended content in the banner template, wherein such interaction cancause the computing device to display additional information, launch anapplication, or some other action.

The template used to display the recommended can be based on thepresence of any notifications on the lock screen. For example, in thesituation where at least one notification is being displayed on the lockscreen, the recommended content can be generated in one of a bannertemplate or a notification template. In the situation where no or zeronotifications are being displayed on the lock screen, the recommendedcontent can be generated in a full-screen template. In the situationwhere there are a few notifications being displayed (e.g., three orless), the recommended content can be generated in a banner template. Inthe situation where three or more notifications are being displayed onthe lock screen, the recommended content can be generated in anotification template. In the situation where ten or more notificationsare being displayed, no recommendations may be displayed. It should benoted that other events can trigger the use of one visualization styleover another visualization style. It should further be noted that theseevents may also be used to determine whether recommended content shouldbe displayed.

For example, many operating systems include predefined notificationcategories to specify the type of notification object being displayed.Example notification categories include alarms and timers, calendarevents, incoming direct messages (SMS, instant message, etc.) Inaccordance with various embodiments, the notification categories can beleveraged to determine a time to display the recommended content. Forexample, it may not be desirable to display recommended content when auser is responding to a calendar event, as the user has a specificintent in mind. Instead, the recommended content might be displayed someamount of time after the calendar event. As an example, if the timebetween when a notification is detected and when a user waking thedisplay screen is less than, for example, fifteen seconds, thenrecommended content is not displayed.

In another example, operating systems may assign a notification priorityto a notification. These priorities can influence ‘how’ and ‘when’notifications should be displayed on a display screen. For example, apriority of “MAX” may be used for a critical or time-sensitivenotification. In this example, if the time between a notification beingdisplayed with a “MAX” priority and the user waking the display screenis less than, for example, fifteen seconds, then recommended content isnot displayed. In yet another example, the total number of notificationsdisplayed on a lock screen can be used to determine whether to displayrecommended content. For example, in the situation where, for example,ten or more notifications are present on the lock screen when thedisplay screen is turned on, then recommended content may not bedisplayed at that time.

In accordance with various embodiments, the advertisements, content, orother information inserted into the template can be tailored for a userof the computing device. This can include tailoring the frequency atwhich recommended content is displayed (i.e., the rate at which contentis displayed or otherwise provided) on the lock screen, the placement ofthe recommended content on the lock screen, when the recommended contentis displayed on the lock screen, and/or the visualization of therecommended content. For example, the time of day to which therecommended content is displayed on the lock screen can be selected tominimize distraction and increase viewership of the recommended content.For example, in the situation where a user utilizes the computing devicefor a brief period of time in the morning, and more so in the evening,it might be beneficial to increase the display of recommended content onthe lock screen at a time the computing device is most likely to be usedand/or checked (i.e., in the evening). Providing recommended contentduring a time the user is infrequently unlocking the computing device orotherwise is attempting to briefly use the device can be distracting andmay lead to an unsatisfactory experience.

In various embodiments, the recommended content inserted into thetemplates can be tailored based on user information as may include theuser's demographic information, such as gender, age, marital status,occupation, income level, etc., information indicating usage patterns ofthe computing device, information indicating applications on thecomputing device, a physical location of the computing device, a networkprovider (Wi-Fi and/or telecom) of the computing device, etc. Forexample, the name of the carrier network used by the computing devicecan be determined and recommended content can determined based on thecarrier network name can be inserted in the template. For example, ifthe user's carrier is identified, content can be included in thetemplate for a competing carrier. In another example, the computingdevices Wi-Fi and/or GPS setting can be determined to tailor contentincluded in the template based on the computing devices physicallocation. For example, in the situation where the Wi-Fi network isidentified with a particular restaurant, recommended content for thatrestaurant can be inserted into a template and displayed on the lockscreen of the computing device. In yet another example, applicationactivity on the computing device can be monitored, where the activitycan include notifications, the time of those notifications, etc. Theactivity can be used to determine a time to display recommended content.For example, the fact that a user is accessing social media websitesand/or applications, might indicate that a user of the computing deviceavailable to receive content, which can then be displayed on the lockscreen of the computing device.

In accordance with various embodiments, other factors can cause thefrequency, placement, and/or appearance of advertisements to be adjustedor otherwise modified. For example, if a complaint or other indicationis received that indicates that the user is not satisfied with thefrequency, placement, and/or appearance of the advertisements, thefrequency, placement, and/or appearance at which the advertisements aredisplayed to the user can be decreased or otherwise modified. In thisway, feedback received from the user can be used to adjust the rate atwhich and/or the placement of the displayed advertisements.Additionally, how often a user clicks, selects and/or otherwiseinteracts with an advertisement (such as the user's clickthrough rate),and/or any other number of customer behaviors can be used to adjust theadvertising frequency (and/or placement and appearance of theadvertisements). For example, advertisement frequency can be decreased,and/or placement and/or appearance of advertisements made less intrusiveif a user selects or otherwise interacts with the displayedadvertisements to increase a clickthrough rate.

FIG. 4A illustrates an example configuration of a system 400 fordetermining, displaying, and updating content data in accordance withvarious embodiments. As described, an example of content data includesrecommend content. In this example, a client computing device 402 (e.g.,similar to computing device 108 in FIG. 1A) is able to receiverecommended content across at least one network 404 from an appropriatecontent provider environment 406. The client computing device 402 cangenerally include a content manager 432, a content renderer 454, acontent display service 450, a content refresh service 452, user datastore 434, log data store 436, and client content data store 438. Incertain embodiments, the client can include a security component todetect and combat programmatic circumvention of determining, displaying,and updating the recommended content. For example, the securitycomponent listens to various system events and infers circumventionbased on the sequence of received events. A countermeasure phasesincludes two stages: a preventive stage and a reactive stage. Thepreventive stage can be triggered when the screen is in a powered offstate (i.e., not displaying content). The reactive stage can betriggered when the display screen is displaying content, and when thepreventative state is detected when the screen is off. In thepreventative stage, when the display screen is not displaying content,the security component triggers a method call (e.g.,PhoneStatusBar.showKeyguard( ) to show the security key guard. Thisallows recommended content to show up on top of third party lock screensexecuting software to stop the client computing device from entering asleep or lower power mode. In the reactive state, if circumvention isdetected, the security component triggers a method call (e.g.,PhoneStatusBar.showKeyguard( ) to show the security keyguard when thedisplay screen has a display. This is used to prevent third party lockscreens that use certain methods calls that can alter flags indicatingwhen the lock screen is locked, dismissed, etc.

The client content data store 438 can store a local copy of therecommended content, display instructions for displaying the recommendedcontent, as well as other information. As described, the displayinstructions can be provided by a content provider environment 406 orother such environment and can be used to determine a display scheduleby which to display and update the recommended content on the clientcomputing device's lock screen. For example, the display instructionscan instruct the client computing device to listen for any notificationsto be displayed on the lock screen or other events, and based on thepresence on any notifications, the time of day, user information, lockscreen events, and any other appropriate information, the client device402 can determine a template to display the recommended content on thelock screen and/or whether to update the recommended content to beinserted in the template. As described herein, the display instructionscan be periodically and automatically updated. For example, the contentprovider environment can include a service (e.g., an update service)operable to generate updates to the display instructions and canpropagated the updates to the client computing device 402, where wheninstalled, can be used to determine a template to display therecommended content, display and/or update the recommended content, orperform some other function described herein.

The recommended content can include, for example, rich media content,advertisements, graphics, text, selectable elements, etc. Therecommended content can be personalized based on user informationassociated with a user of the client computing device and can beformatted for optimal display on the client computing device, takinginto consideration various specifications of the client computing device(e.g., screen size, screen resolution, etc.) The recommended content canbe provided by a content provider of the content provider environment.In accordance with various embodiments, the recommended content can beprovided to the content provider environment from a third party contentprovider 424 or other such entity.

The user data store 434 can include usage information pertaining to theclient computing device 402 as may include application usage, clientcomputing device settings (e.g., cellular network provider, etc.), aswell as user information (e.g., user preferences, unlock log, etc.). Theat least one network 404 can include any appropriate network, such asmay include the Internet, an Intranet, a local area network (LAN), acellular network, and the like.

The content manager 432 can be used for rendering and updatingrecommended content. For example, the content manager 432 can receive arefresh notification or other such event/instruction from the contentrefresh service 452. The refresh notification can be generated inresponse to detecting a particular lock screen event. In response toreceiving the refresh notification, the content manager can cause thecontent renderer 454 to initiate a content rendering process to generaterecommended content to be displayed using content display service 450.In accordance with various embodiments, whether a refresh notificationis generated can be based on the occurrence of one or more lock screenevents. As described, example lock screen events include swiping away alock screen where no security pin is required to access a home screen orother user interface of the client computing device, changing a user'senrollment status in receiving recommended content from a contentprovider, updating a user profile with a content provider, swiping awaya lock screen where a security pin is required to access a home screenor other user interface of the client computing device, dismissing asecurity lock guard (e.g., pin entry, biometric entry, etc.) andreturning to a lock screen, displaying a notification pane, launching ordismissing a camera application over a lock screen, dismissing anon-full-screen template that includes recommended content, displaying anotification overflow window, dismissing a notification overflow window,receiving a notification when a full-screen template that includesrecommended content is being displayed, dismissing all notificationsdisplayed on top of a full-screen template that includes recommendedcontent, launching a dialer application over the lock screen, dismissinga dialer application from the lock screen, launching a voice assistapplication over the lock screen, dismissing a voice assist from thelock screen, powering on a display screen, powering off a displayscreen, activating a security key guard, activating a phone dialerapplication, detecting a reboot intent of the client computing device,determining, while a display screen of a client computing device is in apowered off state (i.e., the display screen is not displaying content),that the client computing device transitions from a state where nonotifications are visible to where at least one notification would bevisible or the client computing device transitions from a state wherenotifications are visible to a state where no notifications are visible,among other such examples. The lock screen events can be generated inresponse to, for example, a user interaction with a display screen ofthe client computing device, pressing a physical button on a clientcomputing device a predetermined number of times, contacting a graphicalbutton on a client computing device a predetermined number of times,detecting a time out event, detecting predetermined movement of a clientcomputing device, receiving an input from a different client computingdevice (e.g., a smart watch), receiving input from an object (e.g., acover of a client computing device with a magnet that causes the displayscreen to power on/off), etc.

The content refresh service 452 can monitor for lock screen events andin the situation where a particular one of the lock screen events isdetected, content refresh service 452 can notify the content manager 432to initiate content selection, rendering, and display logic. Forexample, in the situation where the content refresh service 452 detectsa power button (or other such button) being pressed to cause a displayscreen of the client computing device to enter a powered off state(i.e., the display screen is not displaying content), the contentrefresh service 452 can notify the content manager 432 of the lockscreen event. The content manager 432 can notify the content renderer454, which can initiate content selection logic to determine recommendedcontent to be displayed by the content display service 450.

In another example, in the situation where the content refresh service452 detects the power button (or other such button) being pressed apredetermined number of times to activate an application (e.g., a cameraapplication, a voice assistant application, etc.), the content refreshservice 452 can notify the content manager 432 of the lock screen event.The content manager 432 can notify the content renderer 454, which caninitiate content selection logic to determine recommended content to bedisplayed by the content display service 450. The content renderer 454can execute content selection logic for recommended content to bedisplayed in a full-screen template (recommended content fornon-full-screen templates remain unchanged). As such, recommendedcontent to be displayed in a full-screen template is cleared whilerecommended content to be displayed in a non-full-screen templateremains the same. The cleared recommended content can be temporarilystored or otherwise persisted to cache or another memory component suchas client content data store 438. The content renderer 454 can theninitiate content render logic. In the situation where the render logicdoes not complete before the display screen is in a powered on state,the content display service 450 retrieves the cached recommended contentand displays the cached recommended content by inserting the cachedrecommended content in the full-screen template. In the situation wherethe content render logic completes before the display screen is in apowered on state, the content display service 450 displays updatedrecommended content by inserting the updated recommended content in thefull-screen template.

In yet another example, in the situation where the content refreshservice 452 detects a reboot of the client computing device, the contentrefresh service 452 can notify the content manager 432 of the reboot(i.e., the lock screen event.) The content manager 432 can notify thecontent renderer 454, which can initiate content selection logic todetermine recommended content to display and can cache the determinedrecommended content for use when the client computing device reboots.During a boot process, when it is determined that at least apredetermined portion of components of the client computing device areexecuting, the appropriate software is loaded, and that the displayscreen is in a powered off state (i.e., the display screen is notdisplaying content), the content renderer 454 can cause the contentdisplay service 450 to display the recommended content on the lockscreen when the display screen is in a powered on state.

In yet another example, in the situation where the content refreshservice 452 detects that the display screen is in a powered off stateand the client computing device transitions from a lock screen statewhere no notifications are visible to a lock screen state where at leastone notification would be visible, or the display screen is in a poweredoff state and the client computing device transitions from a state whereat least one notification would be visible to a state where nonotifications would be visible, the content refresh service 452 cannotify the content manager 432 of the lock screen event. The contentmanager 432 can notify the content renderer 454, which can initiatecontent selection logic to determine recommended content to be displayedby the content display service 450. For example, in the situation wherethe client computing device transitions from a state where at least onenotification would be visible to a state where no notifications will bevisible, content selection for recommended content to be displayed in afull-screen template is initiated. In this example, the content renderer454 can initiate selection and render logic. In the situation where therender logic does not complete before the display screen is in a poweredon state, the content display service 450 retrieves previously cachedrecommended content used in a full-screen template and displays thecached recommended content on the lock screen in the full-screentemplate. In the situation where the render logic completes before thedisplay screen is in a powered on state, the content display service 450enables for display updated recommended content. In the situation wherethe client computing device transitions from a lock screen state wherezero notifications will be visible to a state where at least onenotification is to be visible, content selection for recommended contentto be displayed in a non-full-screen template is initiated. For example,the content renderer 454 initiates content selection and render logic.In the situation where the render logic does not complete before thedisplay screen is in a powered on state, the content display service 450attempts to render the recommended content in a non-full-screen templatewhile the display screen is in the powered on state.

In accordance with various embodiments, other lock screen events can bedetermined and based on these determined lock screen events adetermination can be made whether to update and/or display recommendedcontent. For example, when returning from an application launched overthe lock screen, the client computing device can delete recommendedcontent displayed in a full-screen template and continue to displayrecommended content displayed in a non-full-screen template. In anotherexample, when a security key guard or other such security interfacerequiring an input to access the home screen of the client computingdevice is dismissed, recommended content is deleted. In another example,when the display screen is caused to be in a powered off state, contentselection logic, content rendering logic, and content display logic canbe executed and updated recommended content can be provided for displaythe next time the display screen is powered on. In various embodiments,powering off the display screen and/or computing device triggers thecontent selection logic and content rendering logic.

In accordance with certain embodiments, recommended content may not beupdated when the display screen is in a powered on state. This caninclude situations where the lock screen is visible and/or the user isin a full-screen application and a notification is received. In thisexample, any recommended content currently being displayed may not beupdated at that time. Rather, content selection and rendering logic canbe executed when the display screen is in a powered off state. Asdescribed above, a possible exception to this situation is where a homebutton or other such button is pressed a predetermined number of times.In this example, recommended content in a full-screen template isupdated.

In accordance with various embodiments, as relating to retrievingrecommended content and/or display instructions, a request can bereceived to a network interface layer 408 of the content providerenvironment 406 for the recommended content and/or the displayinstructions. The network interface layer can include any appropriatecomponents known or used to receive requests from across a network, suchas may include one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) orother such interfaces for receiving such requests. The network interfacelayer 408 might be owned and operated by the provider, or leveraged bythe provider as part of a shared resource or “cloud” offering. Thenetwork interface layer can receive and analyze the request from theclient computing device 402, and cause at least a portion of theinformation in the request to be directed to an appropriate system orservice, such as a server 410 (e.g., a Web server or applicationserver), among other such options. At least one server 410 might be usedto generate the display instructions and send the recommended contentfor rendering on the lock screen. To generate the display instructionsand the recommended content, the servers or other components of theenvironment might access one or more data stores, such as a user datastore 418 that contains information about the various users, and one ormore server content data stores 420 storing recommended content able tobe served to those users. The user data store 418 can include, forexample, purchase history; customer behavior such as application orservice usage; user responsiveness to advertisements such asclickthrough rate; social media information; service and/or displayedadvertisements; and/or any other information that can be used toindicate user preference to a type of advertisement and/or recommendedcontent.

A content request service 412 can be configured to provide informationto include in the recommended content, and can include certainparameters regarding presenting recommended content. For instance, thecontent request service 412 can specify rules that affect a frequency atwhich the recommended content is displayed, the types of notificationsthe recommended content is displayed with, lock screen events thattrigger an update of recommended content, etc. Once the appropriatecomponents of the content provider environment 406 have determined theappropriate information, a response can be returned to the clientcomputing device 402 over the network. This can include any recommendedcontent and the display instructions for determining, rendering, andupdating the recommended content.

In various embodiments, the third party content provider 424 can be, asocial media network, news network, an ad network (e.g., a company thatconnects advertisers to publishers, such as websites or applicationdevelopers, that host ads), an ad mediator (e.g., an ad trackingplatform that enables the allocation of advertising inventory acrossmultiple ad networks), an ad exchange (e.g., a technology platform thatfacilitates automated auction-based pricing and buying in real-timebetween advertiser demand and publisher ad supply), or the like. Thethird party content provider 424 can include or at least be incommunication with an advertising manager, the content request service,or other appropriate service, which can include any combination ofdevices and/or processes operable to encompass, monitor, and/or controla number of different algorithms and components for selectingrecommended content. In accordance with an embodiment, the recommendedcontent can be provided to the content provider environment from thethird party content provider 424, and the content provider environmentcan provide the recommended content to the client computing device. Forexample, the content renderer, or other component on the clientcomputing device 402 can submit a request for recommended content. Therequest can be received by the content provider and the content providercan submit a request for the appropriate content to the third partycontent provider. The request from the content provider to the thirdparty content provider can include any appropriate information fordetermining, recommended content. For example, the information caninclude usage profile and user information (such as demographicinformation), log information for a frequency of displayed recommendedcontent, the placement of displayed recommended content, and/or theappearance of displayed recommended content, among other information.

In accordance with an embodiment, when the recommended content is loadedon the lock screen, the display instructions executing on the clientcomputing device 402 can analyze the properties of the recommendedcontent displayed to determine whether the user has viewed or otherwiseinteracted with the recommended content. The user interaction with therecommended content (e.g., selecting the recommended content), thedownloaded advertisements, the advertisements view, the template used todisplay the recommended content (e.g., full screen template,notification template, and banner template), and other information canbe stored in log data store 436. The information can be provided to thecontent provider environment, third party content provider, a loggingservice, or some other entity.

For example, the client computing device 402 can then cause at least onecall or request to be submitted to a least one logging service 414,within or outside the provider environment 406, where the call orrequest can include information about the visibility of the advertising,interaction metrics (e.g., a time of day, template to display therecommended content, etc.), among other such options. The informationcan then be stored to log database 415 or similar location forsubsequent analysis. In some cases, the information in the log database415 will periodically be pulled and transformed to a format that can bestored to a table in the user data store 418, or other data repositoryor log data store 422, for reporting or statistical analysis with otherdata, enabling various types of reporting and analysis to be performedacross various types of data.

FIG. 4B illustrates an example system 459 for obtaining recommendedcontent for use in accordance with various embodiments. In this example,a content refresh service 452 operating on a client computing device(e.g., client computing device 402) detects an event to retrieve displayinstructions and recommended content to be displayed on the clientcomputing device. Instructions to update recommended content can bereceived at the content refresh service in response to, for example, theclient computing device connecting to the internet, after apredetermined period of time elapses from a previous time displayinstructions and/or recommended content is retrieved, after apredetermined event occurs (e.g., the client computing device is poweredon), or some other event. The display instructions can include amanifest or other information specifying recommended content toretrieve, display instructions, and any other information used todetermine, display, and/or update the recommended content stored on theclient computing device. Once the instruction to “update recommendcontent” is received at the content refresh service 452, the contentrefresh service 452 can instruct the content manager 432 to “updatedisplay instructions.” This can include, for example, the contentmanager communicating a request to “retrieve display instructions” tothe content provider 406, where the content provider can provide thedisplay instructions to the content manager 432 over at least onenetwork. Additionally or alternatively, the content manager 432 cancommunicate with the content provider 406 to request informationassociated for the display of recommended content from previous displayinstructions as well as any other information. Once the content manager432 receives the display instructions, the content manager 432 can usethe retrieved display instructions to update or replace previous displayinstructions stored in client content data store 438. This can include,for example, deleting recommended content and/or other data from clientcontent data store 438 specified in the display instructions. Once therecommended content and other data is removed from the client contentdata store 438, the content manager 432 can request recommended contentspecified in the display instructions that is not stored in the clientcontent data store 438 from server content data store 420. As described,server content data store 420 is associated with content provider 406.Thereafter, content manager 432 can update client content data store 438with the recommended content obtained from server content data store420.

FIG. 4C illustrates an example system 469 to provide for displayrecommended content in accordance with various embodiments. A lockscreen event is detected. In this example, the lock screen eventcorresponds to a display screen of the client computing devicetransitioning to a powered off state. The lock screen event is detectedby the content display service 450. For example, in accordance withvarious embodiments, the content display service can monitor forparticular lock screen events and an indication of the occurrence of thelock screen event can be communicated to the content display service450. The content display service 450 sends a request to “get recommendedcontent” to the content manager 432. The content manager 432 can obtainor otherwise access display instructions from client content data store438. Once the display instructions are obtained and/or otherwiseaccessed, the content manager 432 can initiate content selection logic455. The content selection logic can select the appropriate recommendedcontent. As described, the content selection logic can be a java scriptfile or other software that can be used to select recommended content inaccordance with the various embodiments described herein. In thisexample, the content selection logic 455 can select the recommendedcontent and can instruct content manager 432 to retrieve the selectedrecommended content from client content data store 438. The retrievedrecommended content can be provided to content display service 450. Thiscan include providing instructions to content display service 450 onwhich recommended content to display and under what conditionsrespective recommended content is to be displayed. Thereafter, thecontent display service 450 can enable the recommended content fordisplay. For example, the content display service can instruct aninterface 470 (e.g., a security interface or other such interface) todisplay the recommended content in one of a full-screen template or anon-full-screen template on a lock screen in response to a lock screenevent, such as powering on the display screen. The content displayservice can enable action links 472 or other user-selectable elementsassociated with the recommended content. The action links, whenselected, can cause the computing device to perform an action such aslaunch an application, provide additional content displays, provideinformation associated with the recommended content, etc.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example process 500 for displaying content dataon a lock screen of a computing device in accordance with variousembodiments. It should be understood that, for any process describedherein, that there can be additional or fewer steps performed in similaror alternative orders, or in parallel, within the scope of the variousembodiments unless otherwise stated. In this example, a componentoperating on a computing device or other software code or application,can be used to determine content data that includes advertisements, userselectable elements, display information, and/or other content todisplay with a lock screen of a computing device. As described, anexample of content data includes recommend content, which can beprovided by a content provider or other such entity. In this example,the content provider is associated with a cloud-based recommendationservice that generates recommended content based at least in part on acustomer profile associated with the computing device. The customerprofile can be associated with at least one of customer preferences,customer purchase history, customer search history, customer mediaconsumption history, geographic location of the computing device,customer physical activity data, limited time discounts provided by thefirst content provider, customer wish list with the first contentprovider.

In this example, recommended content is received 502 for display on alock screen of a computing device. The recommended content can include,for example, rich media content, advertisements, and other content auser or other object can interact with. The recommended content as wellas any advertisements and/or other information (e.g., advertisementimages, advertisement description, etc.) can be stored on the computingdevice. Display instructions can be received 504. The displayinstructions can be used by the computing device to determine a templateto display the recommended content and a display schedule by which therecommended content is to be displayed. For example, the displayinstructions can be used to cause the computing device to displayrecommended content at specific times, under specific conditions, and/orin response to particular event (e.g., lock screen events). As describedherein, a content provider or other entity can provide such recommendedcontent, advertisement and/or other information, display instructions tothe computing device.

The display screen of the computing device is determined at 506 to be ina powered off state. In a powered off state, the lock screen cannot beaccessed until the display screen is powered on. As described, a lockscreen is a type of graphical user interface (GUI) that is displayed ona display screen when the display screen is “locked,” or programmed notto respond to most touches on the display screen. The lock screen can bedisplayed upon detecting an input that “wakes” the display screen. Anexample input can be a selection of a physical button, a voice input,movement of the computing device, system notifications being displayedby the computing device, etc. Upon waking the device, the display screenis powered on and the lock screen is displayed. The presence of anotification to be displayed on the lock screen is determined 508. Whilethe display screen is off, the determination can be repeated at apredetermined interval and for each interval the presence of anotification to be displayed can be determined. For example, in certainsituations, a notification might be displayed on the display screen fora first interval but for a second interval (or some other interval) thenotification might have been cleared by the computing device. In thisexample, for the first interval, the recommended content can begenerated in a full-screen template. However, once the notification wascleared and now that there are no notifications to be displayed on thelock screen, the recommended content can be generated in one of a bannertemplate or a notification template on the lock screen. Examplenotifications include missed text message notifications, missed callnotifications, calendar event notifications, operating systemnotifications, network notifications, among others. In the situationwhere zero notifications are determined to be displayed on the lockscreen, the recommended content can be generated 510 by inserting therecommended content into a full-screen template for display on the lockscreen. In response to detecting 512 a wake event that causes thedisplay screen to power on, the recommended content is displayed 514 inthe full-screen template on the lock screen. In the situation where atleast one notification is determined to be displayed on the lock screen,then the recommended content is generated 516 in a non-full-screentemplate (e.g., one of a banner template or a notification template) byinserting the recommended content into the non-full-screen template.Whether the banner template or the notification template is used can bebased on, for example, the number of notifications to be displayed onthe display screen. For example, in the situation where there are a fewnotifications being displayed (e.g., three or less), the recommendedcontent can be generated in a banner template. In the situation wherethree or more notifications are being displayed on the lock screen, therecommended content can be generated in a notification template. In thesituation where ten or more notifications are being displayed, norecommendations may be displayed. Other factors can include the time ofday, the number of lock screens per day, computing device usageinformation, etc. In response to detecting 518 a wake event that causesthe display screen to power on, the recommended content is displayed 520in one of the non-full-screen template (e.g., the banner template or thenotification template.) As described, a user can interact with therecommended content. For example, the user can tap, select, swipe, orotherwise interact with the recommended content in a same or similarmanner as with other notifications. Selecting the recommendednotification can cause the computing device to display additionalinformation, launch an application, or some other action associated withthe recommended content.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example process 530 for updating recommendedcontent on the lock screen of the computing device in accordance withvarious embodiments. In this example, the component operating on thecomputing device or other software code or application, can be used toupdate recommended content (e.g., advertisements, user selectableelements, display information, etc.) for display in response to a lockscreen event. As described in FIG. 5A, recommended content for displayon the lock screen of the computing device is received 502. Displayinstructions and other information can also be received 504. Asdescribed, the display instructions can be used to determine a template(e.g., full-screen template or non-full-screen template) to display therecommended content and a display schedule by which the recommendedcontent is to be displayed and updated. For example, displayinstructions can be used to cause the computing device to display and/orupdate the recommended content at specific times, under specificconditions, and/or in response to a specific event. In this example, thedisplay screen of the computing device is determined 506 to be in apowered off state. Once the display screen is determined to be in apowered off state, the presence of a notification to be displayed on thelock screen is determined 508. In the situation where zero notificationsare determined to be displayed on the lock screen, first lock screencontent can be generated 532 by inserting first recommended content intoa full-screen template for display on the lock screen. A lock screenevent can be detected. In this example, detecting the lock screen eventcorresponds to detecting 534 a camera activation event that activates acamera application in response to a power button (or other such button)being pressed a predetermined number of times. Once the cameraapplication is active, second lock screen content can be generated 536by inserting second recommended content into the full-screen template,where the second recommended content can be different from the firstrecommended content. In response to detecting 538 an event that exitsthe camera application and displays the lock screen, the secondrecommended content can be displayed 540 in the full-screen template onthe lock screen. For example, an input such as pressing a home button orother such button can exit the camera application and display the lockscreen. In the situation where at least one notification is determinedto be displayed on the lock screen, lock screen content can be generated542 by inserting the first recommended content in a non-full-screentemplate (e.g., one of a banner template or a notification template). Acamera activation event can be detected 544 by detecting a power button(or other such button) being pressed the predetermined number of times.In response to detecting 546 an event that exits the camera applicationand displays the lock screen, the lock screen content can be displayed548 by inserting the first recommended content in the non-full-screentemplate (e.g., the banner template or the notification template.)

FIG. 5C illustrates an example process 550 for updating recommendedcontent on the lock screen of the computing device in accordance withvarious embodiments. As described, the component operating on thecomputing device or other software code or application, can be used toupdate recommended content that includes advertisements, user selectableelements, and/or other content to display on the lock screen of thecomputing device. As described in FIGS. 5A and 5B, recommended contentis obtained 502 for display on the lock screen of the computing device.Display instructions and other information can also be received 504. Inthis example, the display screen of the computing device is determined506 to be in a powered off state. Once the display screen is determinedto be in a powered off state, first lock screen content can be generated552 for display on the lock screen by inserting first recommendedcontent into a full-screen template. A lock screen event can bedetected. In this example, detecting the lock screen event correspondsto detecting 554 a camera activation event that activates a cameraapplication in response to a power button (or other such button) beingpressed a predetermined number of times. Once the camera application isactive, second lock screen content can be generated 556 for display onthe lock screen by inserting second recommended content into thefull-screen template. The first lock screen content can be persisted 558to a client content data store (e.g., client content data store 338). Anevent that exits the camera application and displays the lock screen canbe detected 560. In response to displaying the lock screen, adetermination 561 can be made whether the second recommended content hascompleted rendering in the full-screen template. In the situation wherethe second recommended content has not completed rendering in thefull-screen template, the first lock screen content is retrieved 562from the client data store and displayed 564 in the full-screen templateon the lock screen. In the situation where the second recommendedcontent has completed rendering in the full-screen template, the secondlock screen content can be displayed 566 in the full-screen template onthe lock screen.

In some situations the displayed content might not automatically changefrom the lock screen as a result of an authentication action or otherunlock event. In the example 600 of FIG. 6A, recommended content 602 isdisplayed on a lock screen along with the fingerprint icon 604indicating that the device is in a locked state and able to be unlockedusing a fingerprint scanner. For other types of biometric data there canbe other types of icons displayed as well, such as an eye icon for aretinal scanner, a face icon for a facial recognition system, amicrophone icon for a voice recognition algorithm, and the like.Further, at least some devices will allow for unlocking to be performedusing one or more other approaches as well, such as by swiping across atouch sensitive display and entering a password or personalidentification number (PIN), among other such options. Once an identityof the user has been authenticated, through data captured by thefingerprint scanner or otherwise, a determination can be made as towhether any promotional, advertising, or other supplemental contentshould be provided for display on the lock screen after theauthentication, and whether there is a desired amount of time for whichthat content is to be displayed after the verified unlock action. Insome embodiments, advertising content 602 is to be displayed for aminimum amount of time on the lock screen after the device is unlocked,such as for at least three or five seconds, unless another user actionis take or another relevant occurrence detected. The advertiser may havepaid an amount for the advertising based on this minimum amount of time.

In the example 620 of FIG. 6B the lock screen continues to be displayedfor three seconds after authentication before a different screen isdisplayed. In order to inform a user as to the reason that the lockscreen is still displayed, and to provide information about theremaining time for the lock screen to be displayed after a successfulunlocking of the device, a countdown icon 622, graphical timer, or othersuch element can be displayed that can indicate the amount of timeremaining for the lock screen to be displayed. For situations where theadvertising content 602 is to be displayed for at least a minimum amountof time, the countdown icon 622 can indicate the number of seconds leftbefore the minimum time is reached. Various other timing approaches andvalues can be used as well within the scope of the various embodiments.As mentioned, a countdown icon 622 can be displayed with the number ofseconds decreasing monotonically until the specified or minimum amountof time has passed, after which the lock screen may no longer bedisplayed and the device can display another interface, screen, or page,such as a home screen 662 as illustrated in the example 660 of FIG. 6D.In at least some embodiments the user can provide input during thecountdown in order to dismiss the lock screen with advertising 602and/or access the functionality of the device. For example, since theuser has already successfully been validated and caused the device to beunlocked, the user can provide a swipe, button press, or other suchinput in order to cause the lock screen to no longer be displayed.Various other types of actions or inputs can be used to dismiss the lockscreen as well within the scope of the various embodiments.

In some embodiments, however, the lock screen might not go awayautomatically at the end of the countdown. For example, in the exampledisplay 640 of FIG. 6C, the countdown timer reached zero seconds left,and at that time is replaced with an unlock icon 642 or other suchgraphical element. This can indicate to a user that the device isunlocked and ready to use, but requires at least one additional input oraction on behalf of the use (or another such source). Another actionmight be required in order to ensure that the user has sufficient timeto read the notifications, advertising, or other content displayed onthe lock screen. For example, there might be several notifications or avideo advertisement on the lock screen in which the user has interest,and automatically switching away from this content after three secondsmight be undesirable from a user standpoint. Thus, instead ofautomatically dismissing the lock screen an unlock icon 642 might bedisplayed indicating that the user can dismiss the lock screen whenready. In some embodiments the action to take can be determineddynamically, such as may be based on the type and/or amount of contentdisplayed on the lock screen. In some embodiments the amount of timemight instead be extended, such as to at least provide sufficient timefor the entire video advertisement to play, or to enable reading of thenumber of notifications displayed. The user can still always have theoption of dismissing the lock screen for an unlocked device in at leastsome embodiments, and in some embodiments can take an action such as toselect a displayed notification or advertisement which can cause thedevice to display content relevant to the selection rather than the lockscreen or a home screen, etc. The unlocked icon can indicate to the userthat the user is to take another action to dismiss the lock screen, suchas to press a button, swipe across a touch-sensitive display, perform agesture, speak a command, or otherwise perform an action to cause thedisplayed content to change from the lock screen to a home screen 662,or other display of content, as illustrated in the example 660 of FIG.6D.

FIG. 7. Illustrates an example process 700 for displaying content for alocked device that can be utilized in accordance with variousembodiments. In this example, a component operating on a computingdevice, or other software code or application, can be used to determinecontent data that includes advertisements, user selectable elements,display information, and/or other content to display with a lock screenof a computing device. As described, an example of content data includesrecommend content, which can be provided by a content provider or othersuch entity. In this example, the content provider is associated with acloud-based recommendation service that generates recommended contentbased at least in part on a customer profile associated with thecomputing device. The customer profile can be associated with at leastone of customer preferences, customer purchase history, customer searchhistory, customer media consumption history, geographic location of thecomputing device, customer physical activity data, limited timediscounts provided by the first content provider, customer wish listwith the first content provider. In this example, recommended content isdetermined for display on a lock screen of a computing device. Therecommended content can include, for example, rich media content,advertisements, and other content a user or other object can interactwith. The recommended content as well as any advertisements and/or otherinformation (e.g., advertisement images, advertisement description,etc.) can be stored on the computing device. Display instructions can bereceived and used by the computing device to determine a template todisplay the recommended content and a display schedule by which therecommended content is to be displayed.

The display screen of the computing device is determined to be in apowered off state. In a powered off state, the lock screen cannot beaccessed until the display screen is powered on. As described, a lockscreen is a type of graphical user interface (GUI) that is displayed ona display screen when the display screen is “locked,” or programmed notto respond to most touches on the display screen. While the device is ina locked state, the device can be configured to “actively listen” 702for one or more inputs, such as fingerprint input. As discussedelsewhere herein, a fingerprint scan can be used in some embodiments toboth wake the device and authenticate to the device via a single userinput. While the device is locked, a wake event can be detected 704 thatcauses the display screen to power on. As mentioned, there can be anumber of different actions that can trigger a wake event, such a buttonbeing pressed, touch-sensitive screen being swiped or pressed, devicebeing moved, motion being detected, etc. A determination can be made 706as to whether the wake event corresponded to a fingerprint scan. If soanother determination can be made 708 as to whether the fingerprint dataobtained from the scan is sufficient to unlock the device. As discussedelsewhere herein, this can include determining that the fingerprint datacorresponds to an authorized user of the device, among other suchoptions. If the fingerprint data is correct, the device can be unlockedand the home screen (or other content) displayed. If the wake event doesnot correspond to fingerprint data, or if provided fingerprint input isinsufficient to unlock the device, then the device can be awakened upnot unlocked in at least some embodiments.

Upon waking the device, the display screen is powered on and the lockscreen is displayed. The presence of a notification to be displayed onthe lock screen is determined 710. While the display screen is off, thedetermination can be repeated at a predetermined interval and for eachinterval the presence of a notification to be displayed can bedetermined. For example, in certain situations, a notification might bedisplayed on the display screen for a first interval but for a secondinterval (or some other interval) the notification might have beencleared by the computing device. In this example, for the firstinterval, the recommended content can be generated in a full-screentemplate. However, once the notification is cleared and there are nonotifications to be displayed on the lock screen, the recommendedcontent can be generated in one of a banner template or a notificationtemplate on the lock screen. Example notifications include missed textmessage notifications, missed call notifications, calendar eventnotifications, operating system notifications, and networknotifications, among others. In the situation where zero notificationsare determined to be displayed on the lock screen, the recommendedcontent can be generated by inserting the recommended content into afull-screen template for display on the lock screen. In response todetecting a wake event that causes the display screen to power on, therecommended content is displayed 712 in the template on the lock screen.Whether a banner template, notification template, or other template isused can be based on, for example, the number of notifications to bedisplayed on the display screen as discussed elsewhere herein. Asdescribed, a user can interact with the recommended content. Forexample, the user can tap, select, swipe, or otherwise interact with therecommended content in a same or similar manner as with othernotifications. Selecting the recommended notification can cause thecomputing device to display additional information, launch anapplication, or some other action associated with the recommendedcontent.

In this example a fingerprint icon, or other biometric indicatorelement, can be displayed 714 along with the recommended content on thelock screen. As mentioned, this can indicate that the device is in alocked state, and can prompt use of a fingerprint scanner or other suchelement to authenticate the user in order to cause the device to becomeunlocked. While the device is in the locked state, fingerprint data canbe received 716 from the fingerprint scanner, such as in response to afinger being placed proximate the scanner, image data (or other sensordata) being acquired, and a fingerprint pattern or features beingrecognized from the image data. A determination can be made 718 as towhether the fingerprint data is a correct match to the fingerprint datastored for an authorized user of the device. Methods for validating andmatching fingerprints are well known in the art and as such will not bediscussed in detail herein. If the fingerprint is not a correct match,or if not enough fingerprint data is acquired, etc., then the device canremain in the locked state and the fingerprint icon can remaindisplayed. In some embodiments a failure notification can be providedindicating that the fingerprint data was unable to be used tosuccessfully authenticate the user to the device, or a different unlockicon can be displayed, among other such options.

If the fingerprint data is correctly matched, or otherwise determined tocorrespond, to the user fingerprint data and the user is authenticatedto the device, then the device can be unlocked and functionalityaccessible as known for such purposes. In this example, however, insteadof removing the lock screen and causing a home screen to be displayed, acountdown element can be caused 720 to be displayed on the lock screenwith the advertising, notifications, or other recommended content. Suchan approach enables the lock screen to remain displayed for a period oftime after a successful unlock action, in order to provide time for auser to view the recommended content. As mentioned, the amount of timecan be fixed or determined based upon a current context, such as anamount or type of recommended content displayed, a type of user, a levelof user account, and the like. As mentioned, in some embodiments therecommended content may have a specified minimum time for display beforeother content can be displayed, or there might be a specified amount oftime after an authentication that the recommended content should bedisplayed, among other such options. While the countdown element isdisplayed, or at other appropriate times, a determination can be made722 as to whether an action has been detected that will affect thedisplay of the countdown element. This can include, for example, thecountdown timer reaching zero seconds remaining, or the remaining timeotherwise expiring, at which time the home screen or other appropriatecontent can be displayed 724 in lieu of the lock screen. Similarly, if adismiss action is detected, such as the user making a swipe gestureacross a touch-sensitive display screen or pressing the home button asecond time, then the home screen or other content can be displayed 724in lieu of the lock screen. In some embodiments the content displayed atthe end of a countdown may be different from that displayed as a resultof a dismiss action or other such input. If no action is detected andtime remains on the countdown element then the lock screen can remaindisplayed and the countdown element can continue to display thecountdown of remaining time. As mentioned, the countdown element canprovide a countdown in monotonically decreasing seconds corresponding tothe remaining amount of time, although other indicators of progress canbe used as well within the scope of the various embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates another example process 800 wherein alternativecontent is not automatically displayed upon authentication of the user.In this example, a wake event is again detected 802 that causes thedisplay screen to power on. The recommended content and fingerprint iconare displayed 804, as may utilize a selected template as discussedelsewhere herein. The fingerprint icon indicates that the device islocked and can be unlocked using the fingerprint scanner or anotherappropriate unlock mechanism. Fingerprint data is received 806 from thefingerprint scanner, in response to an appropriate user input action,and the fingerprint data can be analyzed to determine 808 whether thefingerprint data is the correct data to unlock the device, such as wherethe fingerprint data matches fingerprint data stored for an authorizeduser of the device as discussed elsewhere herein. Once the device isunlocked in response to a successful unlock action, a countdown element(i.e., a graphical timer or clock icon) can be displayed 810 asdiscussed elsewhere herein that indicates the amount of time remaining.As mentioned, in at least some embodiments the user can provide an inputin order to cause the display to change from the lock screen even iftime still remains, at least where the time is not a required or minimumamount of time for the recommended content to be displayed.

During the countdown, or at other appropriate times, a determination canbe made 812 as to whether an action is detected that can cause thescreen to change the content that is displayed. If no action isdetected, the countdown can continue with the lock screen displayed. Ifa dismiss action is detected, such as a swipe input or home buttonpress, then the home screen or other appropriate content can bedisplayed 818 in lieu of the lock screen. If the time has expired, orthe countdown icon has otherwise reached a state corresponding to notime remaining, an unlock icon can be displayed 814 on the lock screen,alone or with a trust circle or other such element, to indicate to theuser that the device is unlocked but another action is required beforethe lock screen will no longer be displayed (unless the device reaches asleep or low power state, etc.). Subsequently, an access input can bereceived 816, such as may be the same as, or different from, a dismissaction. In response, the lock screen can be dismissed and a home screenor other appropriate content can be displayed 818 in place of the lockscreen. Various other types of input, such as voice or gesture commands,can be used as well within the scope of the various embodiments. In someembodiments the user can select an advertisement, notification, or otherelement from the recommended content as part of the access input, whichcan cause the corresponding content to be displayed and/or action to betaken.

In addition to adjusting the displayed or recommended content based onuser action, content displayed for future actions can also be determinedor updated. For example, the recommended content to be displayed upon asubsequent wake action can be determined based at least in part upon theidentity and/or type of user who last unlocked the device, or theactions that were taken for one or more prior unlocks, such as whetherthe user allowed the recommended content to be displayed for a minimumperiod of time. Such actions taken by a user over time can be used toselect the types of recommended content to be displayed, as users whoare willing to wait might be more likely to view more robust content,while users who quickly swipe away the lock screen might respond betterto very brief instances of content. The amount of content might vary aswell. Users also can be rewarded for allowing the content to bedisplayed for a period of time, such as to obtain Easter eggs orsupplemental content, discounts or awards, and the like. In someembodiments the countdown timer might be set upon past behavior of auser, such that users who require a significant amount of time receivemore time that users who regularly swipe away the lock screen.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example computing device 900 (e.g., similar tocomputing device 108) that can be used in accordance with variousembodiments. Although a portable computing device (e.g., a smart phone,an electronic book reader, or tablet computer) is shown, it should beunderstood that any device capable of receiving and processing input canbe used in accordance with various embodiments discussed herein. Thedevices can include, for example, desktop computers, notebook computers,electronic book readers, personal data assistants, cellular phones,video gaming consoles or controllers, wearable computers (e.g., smartwatches or glasses), automobile displays, televisions and/or devicesthat connect to them (e.g., set top boxes), and portable media players,among others. In this example, the computing device 900 has a displayscreen 904 and an outer casing 902. The display screen under normaloperation will display information to a user (or viewer) facing thedisplay screen (e.g., on the same side of the computing device as thedisplay screen). For example, the display screen can display a lockscreen in response to pressing a power button 908, a home button 912, avolume button 906, or in response to another input. In accordance withvarious embodiments, the home button 912 can be a physical button thatwhen pressed can cause the display screen 904 of the computing device900 to power on, close an active application, navigate to a home screen,or perform any one of a number of functions based on a number of timesthe button is pressed, how long the button is held after being pressed,etc. The power button 908 can be a physical button that when pressed cansleep/wake the computing device 900, power on/off the computing device900, or perform any one of a number of functions based on a number oftimes the button is pressed, how long the button is held after beingpressed, etc. The volume button 906 can be a physical button that whenpressed can control a volume of the computing device 900, or perform anyone of a number of functions based on a number of times the button ispressed, how long the button is held after being pressed, etc. Asdiscussed herein, the device can include one or more communicationcomponents 910, such as may include a cellular communications subsystem,Wi-Fi communications subsystem, BLUETOOTH communication subsystem, nearfield communication (NFC) subsystem, and the like.

FIG. 10 illustrates a set of basic components of a computing device 1000such as the device 902 described with respect to FIG. 9, device 104described with respect to FIG. 1. In this example, the device includesat least one processor 1002 for executing instructions that can bestored in a memory device or element 1004. As would be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art, the device can include many types ofmemory, data storage or computer-readable media, such as a first datastorage for program instructions for execution by the at least oneprocessor 1002, the same or separate storage (e.g., client data store338) can be used for display instructions, recommended content, imagesor data, a removable memory can be available for sharing informationwith other devices, and any number of communication approaches can beavailable for sharing with other devices. The devices can include anumber of sensors, as may include a proximity sensor operable to detectthe presence of nearby object without any physical contact, an ambientlight sensor for ambient light sensing, a digital compass, among othersuch sensors. The device typically will include at least one type ofdisplay element 1006, such as a touch screen, electronic ink (e-ink),organic light emitting diode (OLED) or liquid crystal display (LCD),although devices such as portable media players might convey informationvia other means, such as through audio speakers. The device can includeat least one communication component 1008, as may enabled wired and/orwireless communication of voice and/or data signals, for example, over anetwork such as the Internet, a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network,BLUETOOTH, and the like. The device can include at least one additionalinput device 1010 able to receive conventional input from a user. Thisconventional input can include, for example, magnetic input from a case,input from a different computing device (e.g., a smart watch), a pushbutton, touch pad, touch screen, wheel, joystick, keyboard, mouse,trackball, camera, microphone, keypad or any other such device orelement whereby a user can input a command to the device. These I/Odevices could even be connected by a wireless infrared or Bluetooth orother link as well in some embodiments. In some embodiments, however,such a device might not include any buttons at all and might becontrolled only through a combination of visual and audio commands suchthat a user can control the device without having to be in contact withthe device.

As discussed, different approaches can be implemented in variousenvironments in accordance with the described embodiments. For example,FIG. 11 illustrates an example of an environment 1100 for implementingaspects in accordance with various embodiments. As will be appreciated,although a Web-based environment is used for purposes of explanation,different environments may be used, as appropriate, to implement variousembodiments. The system includes an electronic client devices 1102(e.g., similar to computing device 108 in FIG. 1A), which can includeany appropriate device operable to send and receive requests, messagesor information over an appropriate network 1104 (e.g., similar tonetwork 304 of FIG. 3) and convey information back to a user of thedevice. Examples of such client devices include personal computers, cellphones, handheld messaging devices, laptop computers, set-top boxes,personal data assistants, electronic book readers and the like. Thenetwork can include any appropriate network, including an intranet, theInternet, a cellular network, a local area network or any other suchnetwork or combination thereof. Components used for such a system candepend at least in part upon the type of network and/or environmentselected. Protocols and components for communicating via such a networkare well known and will not be discussed herein in detail. Communicationover the network can be enabled via wired or wireless connections andcombinations thereof. In this example, the network includes theInternet, as the environment includes a Web server 1106 for receivingrequests and serving content in response thereto, although for othernetworks, an alternative device serving a similar purpose could be used,as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

The illustrative environment includes at least one application server1108 and a data store 1110 (data store 1110 can include, e.g., user data318, server content 320, log 322, as well as other data.) It should beunderstood that there can be several application servers, layers orother elements, processes or components, which may be chained orotherwise configured, which can interact to perform tasks such asobtaining data from an appropriate data store. It should be furtherunderstood that functions of Web server 1106 and application server 1108(similar to server(s) 310 of FIG. 3A) can be performed by the samecomputing device, distributed across multiple computing devices, or anyother such arrangement. As used herein, the term “data store” refers toany device or combination of devices capable of storing, accessing andretrieving data, which may include any combination and number of dataservers, databases, data storage devices and data storage media, in anystandard, distributed or clustered environment. The application server1108 can include any appropriate hardware and software for integratingwith the data store 1110 as needed to execute aspects of one or moreapplications for the client device and handling a majority of the dataaccess and business logic for an application. The application serverprovides access control services in cooperation with the data store andis able to generate content such as text, graphics, audio and/or videoto be transferred to the user, which may be served to the user by theWeb server 1106 in the form of HTML, XML or another appropriatestructured language in this example. The handling of all requests andresponses, as well as the delivery of content between the client device1102 and the application server 1108, can be handled by the Web server1106. It should be understood that the Web and application servers arenot required and are merely example components, as structured codediscussed herein can be executed on any appropriate device or hostmachine as discussed elsewhere herein.

The data store 1110 can include several separate data tables, databasesor other data storage mechanisms and media for storing data relating toa particular aspect. For example, the data store illustrated includesmechanisms for storing content (e.g., production data) 1112 and userinformation 1116 (e.g., similar to user data 318 of FIG. 3A,) which canbe used to serve content for the production side. The data store is alsoshown to include a mechanism for storing log or session data 1114 (e.g.,similar to log 322 of FIG. 3A.) It should be understood that there canbe many other aspects that may need to be stored in the data store, suchas page image information and access rights information, server contentinformation (e.g., similar to server content 320 of FIG. 3A) which canbe stored in any of the above listed mechanisms as appropriate or inadditional mechanisms in the data store 1110. The data store 1110 isoperable, through logic associated therewith, to receive instructionsfrom the application server 1108 and obtain, update or otherwise processdata in response thereto.

Each server typically will include an operating system that providesexecutable program instructions for the general administration andoperation of that server and typically will include computer-readablemedium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor of theserver, allow the server to perform its intended functions. Suitableimplementations for the operating system and general functionality ofthe servers are known or commercially available and are readilyimplemented by persons having ordinary skill in the art, particularly inlight of the disclosure herein.

The environment in one embodiment is a distributed computing environmentutilizing several computer systems and components that areinterconnected via communication links, using one or more computernetworks or direct connections. The environment can be similar to theenvironment described with respect to reference 300 of FIG. 3A. In thisexample, content provider environment 306 can include at least Webserver 1106, application server 1108, and data store 1110. However, itwill be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that such asystem could operate equally well in a system having fewer or a greaternumber of components than are illustrated in FIG. 11. Thus, thedepiction of the system 1100 in FIG. 11 should be taken as beingillustrative in nature and not limiting to the scope of the disclosure.

The various embodiments can be further implemented in a wide variety ofoperating environments, which in some cases can include one or more usercomputers or computing devices which can be used to operate any of anumber of applications. User or client devices can include any of anumber of general purpose personal computers, such as desktop or laptopcomputers running a standard operating system, as well as cellular,wireless and handheld devices running mobile software and capable ofsupporting a number of networking and messaging protocols. Such a systemcan also include a number of workstations running any of a variety ofcommercially-available operating systems and other known applicationsfor purposes such as development and database management. These devicescan also include other electronic devices, such as dummy terminals,thin-clients, gaming systems and other devices capable of communicatingvia a network.

Most embodiments utilize at least one network that would be familiar tothose skilled in the art for supporting communications using any of avariety of commercially-available protocols, such as TCP/IP, FTP, UPnP,NFS, and CIFS. The network can be, for example, a local area network, awide-area network, a virtual private network, the Internet, an intranet,an extranet, a public switched telephone network, an infrared network, awireless network and any combination thereof.

In embodiments utilizing a Web server, the Web server can run any of avariety of server or mid-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTPservers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers and businessapplication servers. The server(s) may also be capable of executingprograms or scripts in response requests from user devices, such as byexecuting one or more Web applications that may be implemented as one ormore scripts or programs written in any programming language, such asJava, C, C# or C++ or any scripting language, such as Perl, Python orTCL, as well as combinations thereof. The server(s) may also includedatabase servers, including without limitation those commerciallyavailable from Oracle, Microsoft, Sybase and IBM.

The environment can include a variety of data stores and other memoryand storage media as discussed above. These can reside in a variety oflocations, such as on a storage medium local to (and/or resident in) oneor more of the computers or remote from any or all of the computersacross the network. In a particular set of embodiments, the informationmay reside in a storage-area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled inthe art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing the functionsattributed to the computers, servers or other network devices may bestored locally and/or remotely, as appropriate. Where a system includescomputerized devices, each such device can include hardware elementsthat may be electrically coupled via a bus, the elements including, forexample, at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one inputdevice (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, controller, touch-sensitive displayelement or keypad) and at least one output device (e.g., a displaydevice, printer or speaker). Such a system may also include one or morestorage devices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices andsolid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) orread-only memory (ROM), as well as removable media devices, memorycards, flash cards, etc.

Such devices can also include a computer-readable storage media reader,a communications device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless orwired), an infrared communication device) and working memory asdescribed above. The computer-readable storage media reader can beconnected with, or configured to receive, a computer-readable storagemedium representing remote, local, fixed and/or removable storagedevices as well as storage media for temporarily and/or more permanentlycontaining, storing, transmitting and retrieving computer-readableinformation. The system and various devices also typically will includea number of software applications, modules, services or other elementslocated within at least one working memory device, including anoperating system and application programs such as a client applicationor Web browser. It should be appreciated that alternate embodiments mayhave numerous variations from that described above. For example,customized hardware might also be used and/or particular elements mightbe implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, suchas applets) or both. Further, connection to other computing devices suchas network input/output devices may be employed.

Storage media and other non-transitory computer readable media forcontaining code, or portions of code, can include any appropriate mediaknown or used in the art, such as but not limited to volatile andnon-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data,including RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by a system device. Basedon the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinaryskill in the art will appreciate other ways and/or methods to implementthe various embodiments.

The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in anillustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, beevident that various modifications and changes may be made thereuntowithout departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention asset forth in the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing device, comprising: a displayelement; a fingerprint scanner; at least one processor; and memoryincluding instructions that, when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause the computing device to: detect, while the computingdevice is in a locked state, a wake event with respect to the computingdevice, the computing device programmed to restrict access to aspects ofthe computing device while in the locked state; display a lock screen onthe display element, the lock screen including at least one instance ofrecommended content and a fingerprint icon; receive fingerprint data viathe fingerprint scanner; cause the computing device to be in an unlockedstate in response to authenticating the fingerprint data ascorresponding to an authorized user of the computing device; display acountdown timer element on the lock screen, the countdown timer elementindicating a remaining amount of time, of a determined period of timeafter the authenticating, for which the lock screen and the at least oneinstance of recommended content are to be displayed on the displayelement; and display a home screen on the display element of thecomputing device after reaching the end of the determined period oftime.
 2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions whenexecuted further cause the computing device to: detect, while thecomputing device is in the locked state, a second wake event withrespect to the computing device display the lock screen on the displayelement; receive second fingerprint data via the fingerprint scanner;cause the computing device to be in the unlocked state in response toauthenticating the second fingerprint data; display the countdown timerelement on the lock screen; detect, before the countdown timer elementreaches an end state representing an end of the determined period oftime, a dismissal action with respect to the computing device; anddisplay a home screen on the display element of the computing deviceafter reaching the end of the determined period of time.
 3. Thecomputing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executedfurther cause the computing device to: cause the countdown timer elementto display a remaining number of seconds of the determined period oftime, the countdown timer element configured to display the remainingnumber of seconds in a monotonically decreasing order.
 4. The computingdevice of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed further causethe computing device to: display an unlocked icon on the lock screenafter reaching the end of the determined period of time, wherein thehome screen is displayed upon detecting a dismissal action with respectto the computing device while the unlocked icon is displayed.
 5. Thecomputing device of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executedfurther cause the computing device to: detect, before the countdowntimer element reaches an end state representing an end of the determinedperiod of time, an input action other than a dismissal action performedwith respect to the display element; and display an unlocked icon on thelock screen wherein the home screen is displayed upon detecting thedismissal action with respect to the computing device while the unlockedicon is displayed.
 6. A computer-implemented method, comprising: causinga lock screen for a locked state to be displayed on a display element ofa computing device, the computing device programmed to restrict accessto aspects of the computing device while in the locked state;determining a user authentication action for the computing device;causing a countdown element to be displayed after unlocking thecomputing device, the countdown element indicating a remaining amount oftime after the unlocking of the computing device; detecting an endevent; and causing content other than the lock screen to be displayed onthe display element of the computing device.
 7. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 6, wherein detecting the end event includes at least oneof determining that the remaining amount of time has been reached ordetecting a dismissal event.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim6, further comprising: causing an unlocked icon to be displayed on thelock screen after the end of the remaining amount of time has beenreached; detecting a dismissal action received to the computing device;and causing the content other than the lock screen to be displayed onthe display element.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6,further comprising: verifying that the user authentication action issufficient to cause the computing device to enter an unlocked state, theuser authentication action including an input of biometric data.
 10. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising: causing thelock screen to be displayed on the display element; determining a wakeevent corresponding to the user authentication action; verifying thatthe computing device is programmed to enter an unlocked state inresponse to the user authentication action; and displaying content otherthan the lock screen without displaying a countdown element.
 11. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising: determiningrecommended content to be displayed on the lock screen, the recommendedcontent including at least one of a user notification or promotionalcontent.
 12. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, furthercomprising: causing the lock screen to be displayed on the displayelement of a computing device; determining an unsuccessful unlock actionreceived to the computing device; and displaying an error icon on thelock screen for at least a determined period of time.
 13. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising: determininga required minimum amount of time for the lock screen to be displayedafter the unlocking of the computing device; and preventing the contentother than the lock screen from being displayed on the display elementat least until the required minimum amount of time has passed.
 14. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising: determininga pattern with which the user accesses content other than the lockscreen on the computing device; and determining at least one ofrecommended content to display on the lock screen, or a length of timeto display the recommended content on the lock screen, based at least inpart upon the pattern.
 15. A system, comprising: at least one processor;and memory including instructions that, when executed by the at leastone processor, cause the system to: cause for a locked state to bedisplayed on a display element of a computing device, the computingdevice programmed to restrict access to aspects of the computing devicewhile in the locked state; determine a user authentication actionreceived to the computing device; cause a countdown element to bedisplayed after unlocking the computing device, the countdown elementindicating a remaining amount of time after the unlocking of thecomputing device; detect an end event; and cause content other than thelock screen to be displayed on the display element of the computingdevice.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein detecting the end eventincludes at least one of determining that the remaining amount of timehas been reached or detecting a dismissal event.
 17. The system of claim15, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the system to:cause an unlocked icon to be displayed on the lock screen after the endof the remaining amount of time has been reached; detect a dismissalaction received to the computing device; and cause the content otherthan the lock screen to be displayed on the display element.
 18. Thesystem of claim 15, wherein the instructions when executed further causethe system to: verify that the unlock action is sufficient to cause thecomputing device to enter an unlocked state, the unlock action includingan input of biometric data.
 19. The system of claim 15, wherein theinstructions when executed further cause the system to: cause the lockscreen to be displayed on the display element of a computing device;determine an unsuccessful unlock action received to the computingdevice; and display an error icon on the lock screen for at least adetermined period of time.
 20. The system of claim 15, wherein theinstructions when executed further cause the system to: determine arequired minimum amount of time for the lock screen to be displayedafter the unlocking of the computing device; and prevent the contentother than the lock screen from being displayed on the display elementat least until the required minimum amount of time has passed.